Annual Networking / Social Meeting
and VIRTUAL “Gold Elephant Book Exchange”   

Meeting Goals:

–  Connect:  get to know each other better – personally & professionally
–  Learn:  share knowledge informally during book exchange and a NEW game!
–  Enjoy:  fellowship + books + virtual party game

This will be our 10th Annual Holiday Event — but this year it is virtual.  We can’t bring physical gift wrapped books this year.  So instead please reply to this invitation with an Amazon link to a book that you would have brought.  (Or email to Jim Jameson).  I will keep it ‘under wraps’ and will only reveal your book at the meeting (in a new way)!

In addition to the book exchange we will also play a new social game loosely based on John Holland’s classic career exercise called “The Party”.   We will use a new feature of Zoom that allows everyone to move freely among breakout rooms to explore different topics and interact directly with people who share similar interests!

With these two new activities I hope we can all find some new inspiration, fellowship, and perhaps some ‘golden nuggets’ in these challenging times.

Here are links to the instructions for both activities in case you would like to know what to expect or to use these with other groups:

• https://dfwodnet.org/wp-content/uploads/Virtual-Gold-Elephant-Book-Exchange.pdf
• https://dfwodnet.org/wp-content/uploads/Virtual-Networking-Social-Connection.pdf

Facilitators:   Jim Jameson and Ben Dilla

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
–  7:00  Announcements / Intros / Program  <–Note earlier start!
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

 
Facilitator BIOs: 

Jim Jameson is “semi-retired” from his various consulting roles and is exploring new avenues.  His professional mission has been to improve the success rate of technology adoption projects, working mainly in the areas of Business Analysis, Change Management, Collaboration, and Knowledge Management.  He believes that focusing on the people side of technology change is the key to improving ROI on transformational ‘IT solutions’.

Jim earned an MS degree in Information Systems and post-grad certificate in Knowledge Management, both from George Washington University in DC.

Ben Dilla, PhD, ACC, BCC is a Business professor at The University of Dallas and an Executive Coach through his own company, Bold Leader Development. He has a BS in Behavioral Sciences & Leadership from the US Air Force Academy, MS & PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University.

He is also an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Board Certified Coach (BCC), and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Ben served as a Behavioral Scientist and Personnel Officer in the US Air Force, and as a leadership development consultant or OD & Training leader for several large companies in the DFW area across multiple industries. Ben has published over 20 research articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings and is working on his first book (with Dr. Joel Bennett) entitled Your Best Self at Work: The Power of Strength-Based Emotional Intelligence.   

2021 Program Planning —  
Using Innovative Process & Tools!   

Zoom Meeting Link:  https://zoom.us/j/99773977944?pwd=WHRRbktRVkVDODNINEVmZFJjZkNRZz09  

Meeting ID:  997 7397 7944    Passcode: 355904  (if needed)

In past years November was our annual planning meeting (ho hum).  However — 2020 is different, in almost every way.

This year our planning meeting will be virtual — BUT — we will do more than just planning.  We will be using some new and innovative virtual collaboration processes and tools to ensure that this meeting will be a learning experience as well!

This will include participation before, during, and/or after the meeting, to meet a variety of needs.  We will be doing most of the idea gathering/brainstorming before the meeting.  Below is a link to a Google Doc that you can use to submit your ideas for topics and/or speakers.

Please begin adding your ideas immediately.  As the document evolves we will add some structure and ask you to revisit the document to provide additional input or feedback before the meeting.

   Idea Gathering / Brainstorming Document:   LINK  

   Topics from past years:   LINK   (for reference & to stimulate new ideas)

Again, our goal for this meeting (and the pre/post activities) is to decide what programs we will present in 2021 AND to learn some new techniques for group decision making and consensus building in today’s virtual world.

We look forward to working with you on this important activity and we hope you can join us on November 12 (and before)!

Meeting/Process Design Team:  Pete Sorenson, Stephen Anderson, Jim Jameson, Logan Renfro  (+others?)

Results Curation/Follow-Up Team:  TBD  (We are looking for volunteers!)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
   –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
   –  7:00  Announcements / Intros / Program  <–Note earlier start!
   –  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

  
Speaker BIOs:   n/a this month

OD Sound Bites (TEDx-style Talks!)  

At DFW OD Network we look for alternative ways to share our knowledge and experiences. Our October 8^th monthly meeting will feature one of our most popular annual sessions! 

Six speakers (listed below) will each deliver a honed 10 minute TEDx-style talk on a variety of OD related topics.  Each will reflect on lessons learned or considerations for successfully OVERCOMING situational challenges. We hope you will join us as we explore where we’ve been so far this year, and as we look towards the future!

Speakers:  

• William “Red” Davidson – “NUMMI – Worst to First”
• Cheryl Harris – “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: What Does It Mean for Organization Development?”
• Chris W Coultas – “Leadership Development and Motivation: Start with Drivers”
• Ben Dilla – “Strength-Based Development: From Individuals to Teams to Positive OD”
• Nila Sinha – “The Power of Your Leadership Story: Applications for Today’s World of Work”
• Marc Hanlan – “Overcoming through Effortless Change”

Moderator:  Nila Sinha, PhD – Founder & Principal, Sinha Solutions, Inc.  (Email)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
  –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
  –  7:00  Announcements / Intros / Program  <–Note earlier start!
  –  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

 
Speaker BIOs:   

William Davidson, known to many as Red, is a freelance Agile Coach from Plano, Texas. He’s coached at large enterprises including CA Technologies, Frontier Communications, Citigroup, Toyota and Chase. He’s been writing software for money since 1983 (whoa, that’s a long time). He’s held many positions (Development Manager, Project/Program Manager, Scrum Master and PMO Lead), received awards (Business Development Quality Award for Excellence), written papers & articles, and presented at more than 100 conferences and user group meetings. As an Agile Coach, Red helps teams and their organizations achieve the benefits of Agile software delivery.

Cheryl Harris, PhD is the founder of We Ignite Potential, where she collaborates with leaders to help them spark the untapped potential of their people through individual, team, and organizational solutions. For over a decade at American Airlines, she enabled transformational change, inclusive workplaces, and leadership growth through applying organization development concepts in various roles, culminating in leading talent management and organization/leadership/high potential development for the company globally. Cheryl holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of North Texas and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Chris W. Coultas, PhD, has devoted his career to helping leaders, teams, and organizations optimize engagement and performance by conducting cutting-edge research in leadership, assessment, development, coaching, and talent management. The director of science and research at Leadership Worth Following, he has authored several peer-reviewed publications on coaching, leadership, and teams, and is passionate about uncovering new ways to empower organizations and individuals to reach their full potential.

Ben Dilla, PhD, ACC, BCC is a Business professor at The University of Dallas and an Executive Coach through his own company, Bold Leader Development. He has a BS in Behavioral Sciences & Leadership from the US Air Force Academy, MS & PhD in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University. He is also an ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Board Certified Coach (BCC), and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach. Ben served as a Behavioral Scientist and Personnel Officer in the US Air Force, as a leadership development consultant for Personnel Decisions International (PDI, now Korn Ferry), and as an OD & Training leader for several large companies in the DFW area across multiple industries. Ben has published over 20 research articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings and is working on his first book (with Dr. Joel Bennett) entitled Your Best Self at Work: The Power of Strength-Based Emotional Intelligence.

(Moderator) Nila Sinha, PhD is founder and principal of Sinha Solutions. Her focus is on high touch consulting from a scientist-practitioner perspective – Identifying core issues and maintaining a “solutions focus” with an emphasis on measuring outcomes that positively affect organizational results. Nila leverages 20 years of experience in talent selection and leadership development. Her areas of specialization include the construction of competency-based hiring and development programs, psychological assessment, test validation, and employee development. Over the course of her career, she worked with clients such as BNSF, Travelers Insurance, 7-Eleven, Comcast, and American Airlines. She has also adapted assessment tools and conducted certification training for businesses across the international marketplace including Indonesia, Korea, India, and China. Nila completed her doctorate at Florida International University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.

Marc Hanlan, PhD, has been guiding group transformations for more than 35 years, from the 82,000-user US Navy ERP to the transformation of field workers at Exelon to the creation of self-managed factories at Lockheed/GE. He has taught graduate school leadership, change, and teams for 19 years, and has held senior executive positions in manufacturing, services, and consulting. He is the author of several books on change and has designed computers for NASA and the International Space Station. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Change from Fielding Graduate University, international patents, and a Master Black Belt in LSS.

Is Resilience Over-Rated?  
Transculturalism, Ethical Health, & Workplace Spirituality   

   
This session will be a forum for others who have worked in the area of workplace resilience.

With a focus on this topic, this session also considers a wider lens, asking three questions:

1. How can we draw on strengths of difference groups (racial, ethnic, otherwise) who have experienced adversity due to how they are treated at work?
2. Why even bother focusing on wellness and resilience when what we really need is just to treat each other better? 
3. If resilience is just a stepping stone, can the workplace be a setting for transpersonal needs, human growth, and spiritual development?

Please join us online on September 10 to help us dissect these 3 perspectives!
  

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
  –  6:45  Virtual setup and Networking
  –  7:00  Announcements / Intros / Program  <–Note earlier start!
  –  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

 
Facilitator BIOs: 

Joel Bennett, Ph.D., is president of Organizational Wellness and Learning Systems (OWLS), a consulting firm that specializes in evidence-based wellness, resilience, mental well-being, and catalyzing healthy work cultures from the inside out.  He first delivered stress-management programming in 1985, and OWLS programs have since reached close to 250,000 workers across the United States and abroad.

OWLS clients include corporate, private, nonprofit, local and federal agencies. OWLS has received close to $5 million in federal research grants to assess, design and deliver workplace wellness programs. Dr. Bennett is the author of over 30 peer-reviewed research articles, and he has authored or co-authored five books.

Dr. Ben Dilla is a business professor at the University of Dallas and an executive coach, trainer, and consultant through his own company, Bold Leader Development.  He has 30+ years of experience in OD, working as a behavioral scientist in the US Air Force, as a leadership development consultant for Personnel Decisions International (now Korn Ferry), and in OD & Training leadership roles for several DFW companies.

As a coach, Ben often works with accomplished professionals to develop and improve their leadership and influence skills, which has led him to promote a strengths-based approach to the skills of Emotional Intelligence.  He earned his MS & PhD in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Purdue University.

Reinventing Organizations
for a Better Future  

   
It’s time to reinvent organizations. Or is it? 

From the idea of “teal organizations” proposed by Frédéric Laloux to the more recent work of groups like Corporate Rebels, we see an increased interest in the notion of ‘reinventing organizations.’  We’ll open with a brief history of these ideas, the structures being rebelled against, and the ethos behind these changes — all before turning our attention to more practical concerns.

To show these ideas in action, Nancy Dixon will discuss three organizations who have adopted these principles, and how it has worked out for them.

Next, Stephen Anderson will discuss what he has learned about creating ‘just enough structure’ for teams to be successful.

Then, Pete Sorenson will wrap things up with a focus on what all this means for leaders, wondering “how do we lead people in these new structures?”

Please join us online on August 13 to help us explore these 3 perspectives!
  

Speakers:  Nancy Dixon, Stephen Anderson, Pete Sorenson   (See full BIOs below)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
  –  6:45 Virtual setup and Networking
  –  7:00 Announcements / Intros / Program <–Note earlier start!
  –  8:45 Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIOs: 

Stephen P. Anderson  is a design leader focused on workforce learning and organizational development. And he’s on a mission: To make learning the hard stuff fun, by creating ‘things to think with’ and ‘spaces’ for generative play. Through custom-designed toolkits, on-site training, and now via The Mighty Minds Club, Stephen helps product teams work through their most difficult situations. As a keynote speaker, Stephen continues to challenge and inspire audiences as he exposes the quirky connections between games, play, learning, interactive visualizations, and other exciting topics.

Stephen’s newest book, Figure It Out: Getting From Information to Understanding, was published in May 2020.
   
  
Nancy Dixon, PhD  is founder of Common Knowledge Associates and is a thought leader in the field of Knowledge Management.  Her recent research and consulting has focused on increasing the engagement and productivity of remote teams. She has written eight books as well as over 50 articles that focus on how organizations learn.  Her latest thinking is on her blog, “Conversation Matters” at www.nancydixonblog.com.

Her consulting firm conducts in-depth assessments of knowledge sharing efforts within organizations, e.g. how people are collaborating, sharing knowledge, and making use of lessons learned. Dr. Dixon is a former tenured Professor of Administrative Sciences at The George Washington University, and served on The University of Texas Human Resource Development Graduate Faculty. Her book Common Knowledge was selected in 2010 as one of the best 100 business books.
 

Peter Jay Sorenson, CMC®  is an independent strategic organization design and change management consultant, coach, social entrepreneur, university instructor, and ethicist.  His professional focus is to collaborate on and discover and create the next generation of organization design technology that can match the speed of change and disruption in this volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, (VUCA) digitally fueled world. (And on developing the next generation of organization designers that will make this world work from a values, effectiveness, and efficiency points of view.)

Personally his focus has been on using innovation to create economic and social self-reliance for individuals, families, and organizations in both the developing and developed world.

Stuck-Unstuck:  
 OD Stories from the Field  

  
With every meeting of our OD Network, we strive to learn, share, and grow in our professional development. In addition, through our own OD interventions/engagements/projects we experience first-hand learning and development.  At July’s meeting, several ODN North Texas members will tell us about their on-the-job challenges and solutions.

We will hear stories from two internal and two external OD consultants.  We will examine each engagement by reviewing the business case and step through the goals, process, outcomes and lessons learned.  There will be opportunities to ask questions and share your thoughts.  Come hear the stories and gain insight and perspective from colleagues’ memorable OD experiences.

Please join us online on July 9 for this lively discussion!

Panelists:  Chasity Crawley,  Kathleen Klaviter,  Pamela Walters 
Moderator:  Pallavi Ridout         (See full BIOs below)

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:45  Begin virtual setup and Networking
–  7:00  Announcements / Intros / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

 
Panelist BIOs: 

Chasity Crawley  has over 20 years professional experience, having started in the private sector before transitioning into government. Chasity is currently the regional Acting Program Manager for the Multiple Awards Schedule with the General Services Administration, Federal Acquisition Service. During her time at GSA, she has been instrumental in connecting human capital strategies with business priorities and initiatives. She is a sought after workshop presenter, leadership facilitator, and internal consultant. Chasity is also an adjunct professor and she holds the Associate Certified Coach (ACC) designation from the International Coach Federation.
   
  
Kathleen Klaviter, Consulting Partner at Klaviter Consulting, has 25+ years in training, organization development and professional coaching. She received her master’s in OD from UTD and held management positions with Texas Instruments and Hanson Building Materials America.

Now as an independent consultant since 2009, Kathleen works with all sizes of companies and non-profit organizations. Credentials include multiple training and facilitation certifications and assessment qualifications. She holds the Professional Certified Coach designation (PCC) from the International Coach Federation.


Pamela Walters, former EVP of The Devine Group, provided proprietary assessment and diagnostic solutions to inform talent management strategies and practices in areas such as leadership competency gaps, turnover and engagement for global clients such as Marriott International, Kraft Foods and Pike Electric. Pamela has over 30 years of experience, in HR Talent Development, Leadership Coaching, Enterprise Program development & implementation.

Moderator:    Pallavi Ridout, Founder & CEO of The ELM Advisory Group – providing Executive Coaching, Facilitation, Leadership & Team development solutions. Pallavi has 20+ years of experience in HR Talent Management as well as Organizational Development, and has held leadership positions with global organizations such as Warner Bros. and ICANN.

Creating a Great Culture
in a Topsy-Turvy World  

  
Engagement and Best Places to Work surveys are popular today, but they assess the climate, not the culture, of your organization. Company culture is made up of the underlying values, beliefs and attitudes that shape behavioral norms and expectations.  How do you measure your company’s culture?

In this presentation, you’ll learn the difference between organizational climate and culture and how these two aspects of how we’ll explore the business case for creating a culture of accountability and identify the six elements of your company culture ecosystem.

Come learn things you never knew about culture, in an interactive format that promises to inspire ideas to take back to your company.  Please join us online on June 11!

Speaker:  Kristin Robertson, Brio Leadership

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:45  Begin virtual setup and Networking
–  7:15  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

 
Speaker BIO: 

Kristin Robertson is the Happy Mondays Coach who wants your employees to love to come to work on Monday mornings.  She is a company culture expert whose research explores how companies embed positive, productive cultures.  She is accredited through Human Synergistics International as an organizational culture consultant.  Ms. Robertson is adjunct faculty at University of Texas at Dallas in the Corporate Education division.  She is the founder and President of the Dallas Company Culture Consortium and is President-Elect of the International Coach Federation-North Texas chapter.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Kristin was Vice President of a Silicon Valley software company and was instrumental in the company’s ability to achieve its Initial Public Offering.  She also was an executive at Fidelity Investments, where she won the President’s Award.  She holds two master’s degrees: one in music performance from New England Conservatory of Music and the most recent in Organizational Development & Leadership from Fielding Graduate University.  She is the author of three books, including a textbook on technical support management and a self-help book. Her latest book, called Your Company Culture Ecosystem, guides leaders in growing vibrant organizational cultures.  

Psychological Safety in a Time of Mandatory Remote Work  

  
We need a feeling of Psychological Safety to speak up. Especially when a team is dealing with complex, high consequence issues.

Psychological Safety is usually achieved through in-person, interpersonal interaction that creates relationships of trust.

But how do we build relationships that develop and sustain Psychological Safety when team members cannot be together face-to-face in our pandemic-driven, remote, virtual working environment?

We will puzzle together about these issues and on building relationships of trust characterized by Psychological Safety in this paradoxical Zoom virtual session.

Please join us online on May 14 to discuss our various approaches to this timely challenge!

Facilitators:  Pete Sorenson, Strategic Organization Design  and  Nancy Dixon, Common Knowledge Associates

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:45  Begin virtual setup / Networking
–  7:15  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom Link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

 
Facilitator BIOs: 

Peter Jay Sorenson, CMC®  is an independent strategic organization design and change management consultant, coach, social entrepreneur, university instructor, and ethicist.  His professional focus is to collaborate on and discover and create the next generation of organization design technology that can match the speed of change and disruption in this volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, (VUCA) digitally fueled world. (And on developing the next generation of organization designers that will make this world work from a values, effectiveness, and efficiency points of view.)

Personally his focus has been on using innovation to create economic and social self-reliance for individuals, families, and organizations in both the developing and developed world.

Nancy Dixon, PhD, is founder of Common Knowledge Associates and is a thought leader in the field of Knowledge Management.  Her recent research and consulting has focused on increasing the engagement and productivity of remote teams. She has written eight books as well as over 50 articles that focus on how organizations learn.  Her latest thinking is on her blog, “Conversation Matters” at www.nancydixonblog.com.

Her consulting firm conducts in-depth assessments of knowledge sharing efforts within organizations, e.g. how people are collaborating, sharing knowledge, and making use of lessons learned. Dr. Dixon is a former tenured Professor of Administrative Sciences at The George Washington University, and served on The University of Texas Human Resource Development Graduate Faculty. Her book Common Knowledge was selected in 2010 as one of the best 100 business books.

The Brain Science Behind Positive & Negative Workforce Communications 

  
Do you ever wonder why people say you should not complain?  Do you know someone who is so critical that no one wants to interact with them?  Do you know someone who is so prejudiced that they simply cannot work with a particular coworker?  Well, believe it or not, these three behaviors are related, and they all have one thing in common: they damage the human brain. Conversely, positive communication, such as praise, is good for the brain.

When these negative forms of communication become the “elephant in the room”, they can cause huge hidden costs, because little is done to track their occurrence, and often little is done in response to them – mainly because managers don’t always know how to deal with them.  And the most overlooked way to make employees happy – positive communication is often ignored or overlooked.

Please join us online on April 9 to discuss these inspiring ideas!

Speaker:  Victoria Brown, Brown Innovation Consulting

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:45  Begin virtual setup / Networking
–  7:15  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Zoom link to Join Virtual Meeting will be sent to all who register.

Speaker BIO: 

Victoria Brown has worked for many years as an SAP consultant on very large ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations.  She has a BS degree from UT Arlington in Mathematics and Computer Science, and an Executive MBA and Masters of Human Resource Management from the American Graduate School of Management.

She currently works with businesses to seek innovative ways to increase profitability by using their ERP systems to track not Key Performance Indicators, but Key Predictive Indicators, which helps the business to understand where their next innovation should take place.  She loves studying languages, speaks English and Spanish fluently, knows French, German, and has recently added Hebrew to the stack.  She loves cats and volunteers to help kitties get adjusted to new environments while they are being sold.

 Culture-Shaping Tools:
Better OD with Assessments  

UPDATE:  Sorry for the late notice but University of Dallas has just closed its campus to outside events due to health concerns.  So do not come to UD!    This meeting will now be VIRTUAL. 

If you haven’t registered and would like to attend virtually please go ahead and register!  

On Thursday we will send an update to everyone who has registered with the details on how to attend and the meeting link.   Thanks for your patience!!  

Note: We’re excited to add a third expert on assessments to this month’s program – Dr. Nila Sinha.
     
There’s a wide range of assessments at the individual, team and organization level that can enhance the practice of OD. Today there are so many choices of assessment tools that it can feel overwhelming to choose the most appropriate ones. The wrong tool, or even a good tool poorly applied, can be harmful to good practice and to those who are assessed. Good tools, applied properly, can help shape the culture of an organization!

Our March 2020 meeting will feature three OD practitioners — Chris Price, Brandon Jordan, and Nila Sinha — who are skilled and experienced with assessments and will help guide us to better practice. The session will include time for each of us to share favorite tools we’ve used in the various categories (Individual, Team, Organization, and others) as well as practical tips on choosing tools if you’re looking for something new. This includes the decision to “build or buy” an assessment, how to configure it when you have options, and implementation best practices and watch-outs.

Please plan to join us at UD on March 12th, and bring examples of assessments you currently use as well as your questions about picking the right tool and implementing it properly. This should be a lively and informative session!

Speakers:  Chris Price, Price Leadership Group,  Brandon Jordan, Workforce Lifecycle Analysis,  and  Nila Sinha,  Sinha Solutions, Inc.

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Networking / Food / Intros 
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Meeting Location:  University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *    TBD
  Campus: 1845 East Northgate Drive,    Irving, TX 75062     (972-721-5000)

Cost:   No charge for members ($60/year).  $10 for guests.

 
Speaker BIOs: 

Chris Price, Price Leadership Group:    Under the tagline We Make People & Culture Simple, Chris Price works with organizations to improve results in Productivity, Innovation, and Financial Performance. Chris has led and coached teams and leaders (and ran corporate OD Practices) in North America, Europe, Russia, and Asia. Chris launched Price Leadership Group a decade ago to help organizations Make Great People Decisions and Engage People as Partners — with professional-level Assessments & Systems for Individuals / Teams / Organizations.

Chris is certified in numerous tools and systems proven to improve the critical business areas of Hiring, Development, Coaching, and Talent Planning, with direct experience implementing in over 20 countries.  Since 2001 Chris has been a faculty member at the Global Institute for Leadership Development (GILD).  He is also a Professional Member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and a Past President of the North Texas NSA Chapter.

Brandon Jordan, Workforce Lifecycle Analytics:    Brandon partners with clients primarily to design and implement enterprise talent management, employee listening strategies, and programs for organization development. With over fifteen years of continuous work in talent management and organization development, Brandon founded Workforce Lifecycle Analytics. Prior to launching WLA, Brandon worked for Willis Towers Watson, IBM, Kenexa, and Batrus Hollweg International.

Brandon completed his graduate training at the University of Tulsa where he received his M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.  He earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Texas. Brandon is also a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and DallasHR, as well as an active researcher and speaker in the academic and scientific community. For more information about Brandon and his work, see: https://workforcelifecycle.com/

Nila Sinha, PhD, Sinha Solutions, Inc.: As founder and principal of Sinha Solutions, Nila leverages 20 years of experience in talent selection and leadership development. Her areas of specialization include competency-based hiring and development programs, psychological assessment, test validation, and employee development. In her career as Senior Director at OutMatch, she worked with clients in the design and validation of customized selection systems and leadership development programs. She has adapted assessment tools and conducted certification training for businesses across the international marketplace including Indonesia, Korea, India, and China.

Nila’s focus through Sinha Solutions remains with high touch consulting from a scientist-practitioner perspective and identifying core issues and maintaining a “solutions focus” with an emphasis on measuring outcomes that positively affect organizational results.  Nila completed her doctorate at Florida International University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology.  She is certified in numerous assessments including the Hogan instruments, Emergenetics, as well as the Assess and OutMatch suite of tools.

Establishing a Successful OD Practice:
The Secret Sauce!   

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Networking / Food / Intros 
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Meeting Location:  

University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *
   Campus: 1845 East Northgate Drive,    Irving, TX 75062     (972-721-5000)

Panelist BIOs:   

Steve Maffei  –  VP, Organizational Effectiveness & Patient Experience at Methodist Health System.  Steve has held several leadership positions at large scale for profit organizations such as Ford Motor Credit Company and GE Capital.  For the past 10 years he has also been involved in the not for profit world of health systems.

Aliya Khan  –  Director, Talent Management at Ericsson.  Aliya has extensive Fortune 500 cross-industry and consulting experience in the talent management, learning & development, diversity & inclusion, leadership and change management. She has worked at large global organizations such as PepsiCo, Chevron and Accenture..

Trevor Spunt  –  Founder, Soarington – a consultancy that provides expertise in Change Management, Executive Coaching, Leadership & Team Development.  Prior to Soarington, Trevor worked at IBM and established a successful change management practice helping Fortune 500 clients build organizational effectiveness capabilities.

Thomas Rajan  –  Managing Director, Global Talent Strategy and People Development at American Airlines. Previously Thomas has held internal operations as well as business consulting positions within the airline industry. This rich hands-on business experience enables him to bring a unique inside out perspective into the talent management space.

Moderator:   Pallavi Ridout, Founder & CEO of The ELM Advisory Group – providing Executive Coaching, Facilitation, Leadership & Team development solutions. Pallavi has 20+ years of experience in HR Talent Management as well as Organizational Development, and has held leadership positions with global organizations such as Warner Bros. and ICANN.

Hindsight-Foresight-Insight-Action:
Shaping Our Future with Optimism in a Digital Age   

Schedule for Thursday Evening:
–  6:30  Networking / Food / Intros 
–  7:00  Announcements / Program
–  8:45  Closing and evaluation 

Meeting Location:  

University of Dallas – SB Hall, Serafy Special Events Room *
   Campus: 1845 East Northgate Drive,    Irving, TX 75062     (972-721-5000)

Speaker BIO:  Peter Jay Sorenson, CMC®

We currently live in a digitally fueled, volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, (VUCA) world of organizations.

Pete’s focus is to collaborate on, discover, and create the next generation of organization design technology that can match the speed of change and disruption we are experiencing.

He is also focused on developing the next generation of organization designers that will make this world work from a values, effectiveness, and efficiency point of view.

He is known for his ability to see the big picture, make sense of messes, and lead teams to resolve complex issues.  He relates well to people from all stations of life, speaks frankly, and has a practical eye for getting things done.

He currently serves as the President of the Socio-Technical Systems Roundtable Stewards Team and is an Adjunct Lecturer of Engineering in the Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University.

In his consulting Pete’s clients come from the High Tech, Healthcare, Energy, Government, and Not-for-Profit Sectors. He has also been deeply involved in humanitarian initiatives in the developing world that focus on entrepreneurship and microfinance.